Several developments have been made in the Israel-Hamas war since its start in October, when Hamas (acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, a Palestinian militant group) fired over 5,000 rockets at southern and central Israel. The death toll in Gaza has reached over 30,000 Palestinians, with over 70,000 injured. The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) have confirmed their troops have killed roughly 12,000 of an estimated 30,000 Hamas gunmen since Hamas’ initial attack. The U.N. says there are roughly 2.3 million people on the brink of famine in Gaza.
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and 760 were injured in western Gaza City by Israeli troops on February 29th. Palestinians had crowded around aid trucks in hopes of receiving food when tanks and drones began to shoot.
According to Khadeer Al Za’anoun, a journalist in Gaza, a majority of the casualties were due to the trucks hitting people whilst trying to escape.
The Israeli military carried out air strikes on Rafah in southern Gaza on February 21, killing at least 48. This occurred nine days after another Israeli airstrike on Rafah, which, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, killed over 100 people including children, and according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, killed 94. Neither number can be fully verified.
A day later, three Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing at least one Israeli and wounding at least eight. Two of the gunmen were killed on the scene, and the third was injured.
For the third time, the United States vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war on February 20th. The reason was that the U.S. claimed the resolution would disrupt negotiations between the U.S., Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to free Hamas’ hostages and put a pause to the war.
“A vote in favor of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them,” U.N. ambassador, Amar Bendjama, said before the vote.
Since the veto, President Biden has faced increasing pressure to back a ceasefire. Many previous supporters have claimed he will not get a second vote during his 2024 campaign without one, and despite his win in the Michigan primary, the Arab-American population of the state has sent a warning that his continuous support and aid for Israel could possibly jeopardize his chances of reelection. More than 100,000 voters participated in an uncommitted protest vote against him.
At the beginning of the war, Biden and his campaign showed great support for the country of Israel—even taking a trip to Tel Aviv back in October. He now claims he is hopeful for a ceasefire and that Israel has promised to stop fighting in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan if Hamas agrees to release hostages.
“Since the start of the war, I have been leading a diplomatic campaign to block pressure designed to end the war prematurely and to secure strong support for Israel. We have had considerable success. Today, a Harvard-Harris poll was published, which shows that 82% of the American public supports Israel, meaning that four out of five U.S. citizens support Israel and not Hamas. This will help us continue the campaign until total victory,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, translated into English.
On February 25th, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force died after self-immolating outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell livestreamed dousing himself in accelerant and then lighting himself on fire on the streaming platform Twitch, claiming he no longer wanted to be complicit in genocide. His last words were “free Palestine.”
Although this conflict has been going on for nearly five months, it has been spoken about how important it is to stay updated during this time of genocide, especially for high schoolers.
“It’s incredibly important to stay updated on topics like these because if you don’t pay attention to what’s happening in the world, it becomes exceptionally easy to do things that hurt you later on. Pay attention and make your voice heard,” NHS English teacher Rick Lye said.
This article includes information as of February 29, 2024.